BOSTON – Every two years, the U.S. Postal Service issues a traditional first-class Christmas stamp showing Mary and Jesus, and this year’s stamp features an oil-on-panel painting from the first half of the 16th century titled “Virgin and Child.”
Attributed to a Florentine artist known since the late 1960s as the Master of the Scandicci Lamentation, the painting is in the Robert Dawson Evans Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
The stamp was designed by Greg Breeding, co-founder and creative director of the Journey Group design firm in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is one of four art directors who regularly work with the USPS.
The painting depicts Mary gazing downward at the Christ Child, with one of her arms holding him protectively at his waist and the other tenderly touching his arm, while the Christ child turns his head to look out of the frame to the left.
“I am honored to represent the Postal Service as we dedicate a Christmas stamp that features one of the most revered images in the world – the Virgin Mary holding her infant child, Jesus,” Jenny Utterback, USPS organization development vice president, said when the stamp was unveiled Sept. 22.
The 2022 religious Christmas stamp is “a beautiful piece of art, with particular meaning this time of year,” Utterback said.
“I choose my holiday cards with care, sign them with love or best wishes, and may write a personal note inside,” she added. “Holiday cards are a special way to connect with family and friends. The stamp on the envelope holds significance as well.”